SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY IN RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC CHANGE: FIFTY YEARS OF SOCIAL SECURITY

Analysis is presented of the relationship between the development of social welfare policy and economic change in the United States from 1930 to 1980. The study focuses on policy changes in the Social Security Act in comparison to economic conditions using time series analysis. The results indicate that social welfare policy tends to become more liberalized following periods of economic downturn and retracts or remains stationary during periods of economic expansion.